Two local botanists make one-of-a-kind discovery

In a fascinating twist of fate or, perhaps, just good karma, local botanists Kerry Heise and Geri Hulse-Stephens recently discovered an extremely rare native plant, never before identified in Mendocino County and now unknown to exist anywhere else in the world.

The good karma theory rests with the fact that Ukiah-based Heise provided his services, gratis, as consulting botanist for the Carl Purdy exhibit that I curated for the Mendocino County Museum in 2011-12. During the run of "A Passion for Plants & Place," which recognized Purdy's botanical accomplishments, including his native plant discoveries in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Heise and colleague Hulse-Stephens were making a Mendocino County botanical discovery of their own.

The team had just completed the botanical survey they'd been hired to do on timberlands east of the town of Mendocino currently owned by the Conservation Fund. This survey involved mapping all plant species in the study area while driving logging roads and hiking on foot where the roads disappear. As the two headed off the property via an old logging road, Heise spotted a conspicuous patch of clover and they decided to stop and investigate.

"We'd seen other rare clover on the margins of logging roads in the past so we were keen to take a closer look, but usually the plants turn out to be non-native species," explains Heise. "Just to be sure, we collected a sample and the next day, I studied it under a dissecting microscope."

Comparing the plant details he observed with descriptive information in his plant manual (the second edition of the 1993 manual honoring Purdy's dear friend and colleague, Willis Jepson, who published the first comprehensive California flowering plants guide in 1925) the botanist began to get very excited.

Heise says, "That's when the fun began!"

His examination revealed the possibility that the clover was either a completely new species or a very rare species, living far outside its known geographic range and habitat range in the Pebble Beach area of the Monterey Peninsula. The next step toward authentication was to send samples to clover experts, both of whom judged the plant to be the rare and endangered Monterey Clover. One of 300 known clover species, this particular one has not been seen in its Monterey habitat since 1995, raising concerns that it might be extinct.

But, the deal was not sealed yet. These days, botanists gain proof positive in cases like this through DNA testing. So, Heise sent out another sample, this one across the globe to New Zealand. An analysis of the leaves by a molecular phylogeneticist there confirmed that what Heise spotted that day, in fact, was the rare and endangered Monterey Clover, now known to exist only here in Western Mendocino County.

Historically, Monterey Clover was discovered and named by botanist Amos Arthur Heller in 1903. A.A. Heller, who published a journal of botany, collected the plant in the sandy pinewoods near Pacific Grove. Like his contemporary Carl Purdy, he earned the right to name his discovery. Heller called this clover Trifolium trichocalyx. He described it in his publication as "an inconspicuous plant" with "small few-flowered heads along grass-grown roads and trails in the woods."

Interestingly, the Mendocino patch discovered over a century later and 200 miles away, follows the pattern that Heller describes. According to Heise, clovers and other hardy native annual plants thrive in disturbed habitats where there is less competition for nutrients.

"In lieu of natural disturbances, such as fire and windstorms, we now have man-made disturbed areas where these native annuals can survive. So, we find them on old skid trails and road margins, places where the ground has been scraped. With logging and road carving, we've essentially changed the structure of the natural forest, reducing shade and competition, which has increased the chances for this clover to grow here," explains Heise.

The significance of this clover identification cannot be overstated. Although Heise and Hulse-Stephens did not discover a new "Mendocino Clover," they did accomplish an important botanical feat. One of the major goals of environmental efforts over the past several decades has been to prevent species extinction and maintain biological diversity. Through a variety of laws, regulations, and policies such as the Federal and State Endangered Species Acts, a number of rare plants are protected and moreover, California's Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provides protection for rare species not listed in the Act. In addition, efforts by California Fish and Game and the California Native Plant Society to develop rare plant databases keep all land managers, private landowners and botanical consultants up to date on the status of rare plants through a ranking system with five levels. The Monterey Clover ranks at the second level, "rare in California and elsewhere," just below "extinct." It also is classified "endangered" under both Federal and State law.

The Mendocino botanists counted 5,000 individual plants in a 1 4 mile area. Documenting trends in population size, habitat condition, and threats, known as ecological monitoring, will help assure long term survival of this newly discovered Monterey Clover. Botanists Kerry Heise and Geri Hulse-Stephens will happily tackle the preservation job as the first monitors of the Monterey Clover in Mendocino.

Historian Dot Brovarney's website is www.landcestry.com and she can be contacted at dot@landcestry.com